This Time of Year

For the EP by Project 86, see This Time of Year EP.
This Time of Year
Studio album by
June Christy
Released1961 (1961)
RecordedJanuary 1961
StudioCapitol (Hollywood)
GenreVocal jazz, Christmas music
LabelCapitol[1]
ProducerBill Miller
June Christy chronology
Do-Re-Mi
(1961) 		This Time of Year
(1961) 		Big Band Specials
(1962)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

This Time of Year is a 1961 Christmas album by American jazz vocalist June Christy, arranged and conducted by Pete Rugolo and released by Capitol Records.[4][5]

Christy's only Christmas album, it consists entirely of original songs, unusual for its time. The recordings bear a similarity of having a melancholy tone to the album, all composed by the husband-and-wife songwriting team of Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.

Critical reception

AllMusic called the album "unjustly neglected," writing that it "is that rarest of things -- a winter concept album of all new material that can be listened to even when the holidays are over."[2]

Record collector Tim Neely, author of several Goldmine record collector guides, said in 2023 it was a "largely ignored Christmas album until the 1990s, when [The Merriest] became something of a staple on both easy-listening and jazz-oriented CD compilations. Even with that exposure, it didn’t really catch on."

CDs includingThe Merriest include:

  • ”Ultra Lounge: Christmas Cocktails Part 2” Capitol 1997
  • "A Swingin' Christmas" EMI Capitol Music 1999
  • "yule b' swingin' too" Hip-O 2000
  • "A Capital Christmas" Capitol Records 2018

Track listing

  1. "Christmas Heart" – 2:57
  2. "Ring a Merry Bell" – 3:05
  3. "Hang Them on the Tree" – 2:21
  4. "The Little Star" – 3:08
  5. "The Merriest" – 2:09
  6. "This Time of Year" – 3:34
  7. "Seven Shades of Snow" – 3:32
  8. "Sorry to See You Go" – 2:24
  9. "The Magic Gift" – 3:26
  10. "Winter's Got Spring Up Its Sleeve" – 2:36

All compositions by Connie Pearce and Arnold Miller.

Personnel

Tracks 1, 4, 6 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 12 January 1961

Tracks 7, 9, 10 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 19 January 1961

Tracks 2, 3, 5, 8 Recorded Capitol Tower, Hollywood, 23 January 1961

References

  1. ^ Popoff, Martin (September 8, 2009). Goldmine Record Album Price Guide. Penguin. ISBN 9781440229169 – via Google Books.
  2. ^ a b "This Time of Year - June Christy | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 2. MUZE. p. 358.
  4. ^ Jazz, All About. "Jazz news: June Christy: This Time of Year". All About Jazz News.
  5. ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (October 23, 1961). "Reviews of New Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. – via Google Books. {{cite magazine}}: |last= has generic name (help)
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